Teens Take the Met -- Dynamic Free Program for Teens -- Kicks Off Today

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will burst with energy and excitement as teenagers from New York City's boroughs and beyond take over the Museum today, October 17, 5:00-8:00 p.m. More than 40 cultural organizations have teamed up for Teens Take the Met, a dynamic evening of art making, music, performance, gallery activities, films, a dance party, and more. The evening of art and culture is free for all teens (age 13 or older) with a middle- or high-school ID. Featuring a wide range of interactive experiences, the museum-wide event will give teens a taste of programs that take place across the city and at cultural organizations large and small.

The event is sponsored by Bonnie J. Sacerdote. WNYC is a media partner of Teens Take the Met.

Participatory projects-3D printing workshops, screen printing, live performances, opinionated teen-led gallery talks, digital music-making, playwriting workshops, dance classes, teen-made films, and more-have been designed by more than 40 cultural and youth organizations, along with the Met's own teen advisors. Inspired by the Metropolitan Museum's unique and diverse collections of art, and taking place throughout the building, these activities will transform the Museum for the evening. (The list of collaborating organizations is attached.) Sign language interpretation, assistive listening devices, sighted guides, large print and braille information, and a designated quiet space will be available.

Teens will enter the Museum and pick up their special-event bracelets at the 81st Street and Fifth Avenue entrance. The bracelets will grant youth access to teen-only activities throughout the building. All Teens Take the Met participants will receive a gift, with an extra prize for the first 100 teens. DJ Kakez, herself a teenager, will rock the crowd with music. The event will unfold throughout the galleries, and into a teen-only dance party in the Uris Center for Education, where there will be live projections of event-specific Instagram and Twitter feeds. In addition, there will be free snacks and a photo booth elsewhere in the Museum.

"This unprecedented event will address the growing need for safe and creatively generative spaces for youth to gather and be themselves," commented Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Metropolitan Museum's Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education. "It also shows teens that the Met and the cultural institutions in their communities are dynamic and relevant resources for them. This event could not take place without the support and collaboration of our more than 40 partners hailing from all parts of New York City, and we thank all of them for their generous participation. In addition to organizing Teens Take the Met, the Met will also join the Department of Education as it expands its Teen Thursdays initiative this fall and spring. The Met will also partner with PS78 in Long Island City to offer free after-school programming for all of the school's 7th graders through the Cultural After School Adventure (CASA) program, a City Council initiative created to provide greater access to arts and culture for young people, outside of the school day. These efforts complement the Museum's already-extensive programs for young people ages 11-18, such as paid high-school internships, free art-making workshops, week-long creative intensives, career labs, and year-round gallery activities."

Teens Take the Met is currently anticipated to take place twice a year.

The hashtag for the event is #metteens.